Tiger Kidnap tackled by robbery symposium
20 September 2005

IBP International held its fourth annual Focus on Robbery™ Symposium on the 8th and 9th September at which the delegates, from a vast array of disciplines, tackled the developing threat of Tiger Kidnaps.

The Tiger Kidnap panel: Bob Cummings, Grahame Bullock, John Birkenshaw, Alan Townsend and Focus on Robbery™ Symposium chairman Richard Childs.

The term ‘Tiger Kidnap’ is national police shorthand for a particular type of kidnap where a manager, or similar person who is in a position of trust, or a relative of that person, is kidnapped to enforce their co-operation in the theft of money or goods under their control.

Opening the session, symposium chairman Richard Childs QPM, Director of The Community & Safety Consultancy and former Chief Constable of Lincolnshire, welcomed the panel of experts headed by Assistant Chief Constable Grahame Bullock, Bedfordshire Police, Detective Superintendent Bob Cummings, MPS Flying Squad, John Birkenshaw, Safer Leeds, Alan Townsend MBE, MPS Flying Squad and representatives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Childs said: “To be able to discuss this important industry and police issue with a panel of experienced professionals such as this is a rare occasion and we should all take advantage of this exceptional opportunity.”

The delegates, comprising representatives from financial institutions, retail, police, academia and security were led through a table-top exercise in which they were asked to review current Tiger Kidnap procedures and challenge underlying assumptions behind organisational crisis management plans.

The outputs from the session will form part of the ongoing research being conducted by the Focus on Robbery™ Partnership led by IBP International in conjunction with the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies at Portsmouth University, the BSIA, financial institutions, industry and the police.

Focus on Robbery™ Partnership is a joint not-for-profit initiative formed in 2004 by IBP International to harness expertise from every discipline that has an interest in understanding the reasons for criminal behaviour, analysing the effectiveness of current reduction measures and reducing violent crime.

Digby Ram, Managing Director of IBP International said: “It is vital that the security industry plays its part in developing policies to tackle the big criminal issues. Working in true partnership with interested parties in creating new and innovative measures to reduce violent crime is a goal we should all be striving to achieve – this year’s symposium has been informative, dynamic and intellectually stimulating.”

For more information, contact IBP International, or call +44 (0)1428 641399.